Page 45 - Mindfulness Meets Emotional Awareness Sample Book

P. 45

This reinforces an experience of our thoughts, feelings and
opinions being neither recognized or validated which
compounds any underlying lack of entitlement. The self-
respect that is derived from being in charge of ourselves is
absent, with self-value and self-esteem continually eroded,
which then in turn, leads to further resentment and a desire to
shout even louder!

So, whether anger is turned inwardly and suppressed, or
spills outwardly in an uncontrolled fashion, in both
situations we inevitably end up not being heard, reinforcing
any deeply held perceptions that anger is bad and gets us
nowhere. Sadly, whatever had caused our anger in the first
place remains unheard and therefore unresolved.

When we stifle or suppress our anger and put it to one side,
over and over again, it will stack up.

Eventually something will happen. Something relatively small
and insignificant will occur and whether we implode, causing
ourselves damage and harm, or we explode, inevitably
hurting not only others, but ourselves as well, our reaction
will be out of proportion to the situation that we find
ourselves in. We have reacted with the stored-up anger that
belonged to the previous 50 things that we chose to ignore.

At both ends of the spectrum, navigating the world in a way
that actively embraces our healthy, protective, nurturing,
ferocious capacity to take care of both ourselves and others, is
limited.

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